


Grey Area

by spencvr



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-05-24 20:59:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14962085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spencvr/pseuds/spencvr
Summary: Mingyu is just your average rich kid with a...robot maid? an AI? It doesn't matter what it is, he has to either learn to get along with it or get rid of it.





	1. Chapter 1

Mingyu was raised to be level-headed and humble. His genuine personality was surprising to most if they compared him to his lavish lifestyle. His family did not wake up one day with wealth but created it through hard work. It was what separated the black-haired beauty from the rest of his rich pals, but he still managed to fit in with the rest.

“Hey Gyu, did you see my post yesterday? I got an eHelper.” Vernon boasted, dropping himself in the seat beside him. The cafeteria was decorated in celebration for the first day of school, though Mingyu and most of his friends were already in their third and fourth year. Everyone was excited to find their friends and share class schedules.

“I did, and it freaked me out,” Mingyu replied, flinching as he felt a chill at the memory.

“It’s _impressive_. It’s worth an arm and a leg for a reason. They look and feel like real people!”

Wonwoo appeared just in time and gave out a long sigh. “When will you stop talking about those damn robots? It's nothing new. They’re literally everywhere. On your phones, computers, amusement parks, schools. They just made it look pretty this time.”

Vernon had to roll his eyes. “Okay, sure, but this is different. You have to actually see it to believe me. Seungkwan would vouch for me—oh, speak of the devil—Babe! C’mere!”

“Did you miss me already? We just saw each other.” Seungkwan jested as he sat next to Vernon.

“That doesn’t matter, I can miss you even if you go to the bathroom. I just need you to tell Wonwoo how amazing my eHelper is. He won’t believe me.”

“Aah, yeah that thing is the real deal. I’m so glad Vernon was given an ugly one, or else I would have been jealous as hell.” Seungkwan nodded firmly.

“Of course he would take your side, he’s your boyfriend!” Wonwoo argues.

Mingyu decided to tune his friends out, he wasn’t particularly interested in all the hype after all. At first, he _was_ curious about the world’s first homebody robots. It was what everyone wanted to see for the future, just a few decades ago. However, as time went on, it was all people talked about. There was barely enough human connection with the amount of technology around the world, so he was set on the idea that robots did more harm than good. It was why he usually took Wonwoo’s side on these things.

“You know Soonyoung has been staring at you for the past five minutes, right?” Seungkwan pointed out.

Mingyu’s eyes casually shifted across the café hall to find the violet-haired boy that bounced on his heels as he chatted with his friends, stealing glances at him from time to time.

Once their eyes met, Mingyu offered a quick grin and wave, causing the other to nervously wave back. Soonyoung was always too shy to approach him, but it was always fun to watch each other from afar.

“Why don’t you talk to him? You’re obviously attracted to each other.” Vernon nudged the larger man.

“If that were the case, Mingyu would have the entire school. Plus, he’s way too focused on school to date, right?” Wonwoo defended.

With the same grin he showed Soonyoung, Mingyu nodded at his friends. No one got in the way of his goals, he was going to be a successful doctor, like his father, and his grades showed it.

“So, I heard you can have sex with the robots—”

“Shut the hell up, Seungkwan.” Mingyu and Wonwoo interrupted him in unison. They had to thank the bell for ringing, they couldn’t handle any more of this robot talk.

Wonwoo, while still pretentious in his own ways, had a similar moral alignment to Mingyu, both chaotic neutrals. Individualists that challenged those around them, whether it was in thought or action. They always seemed to be on the same wavelength and that made them an envied pair amongst their peers.

Especially when it came to Soonyoung.

“You’re seriously lame.”

Soonyoung was brought back to reality and quickly whipped his head in Junhui’s direction. “What did I do this time?”

His friend snickered and was instantly smacked on the back of the head by Minghao for it.

Minghao gave Soonyoung a pitiful look afterward. “You can’t just keep admiring Mingyu from afar. Do you want me to talk to him for you? I’m his classmate, I can—”

“No, no!” the violet-haired boy exclaimed, “He’ll think I’m an even bigger creep if you do that.”

“Soonyoung, he doesn’t think you’re a creep. He seems like a nice guy and he even waved at you.” Junhui added with a confident smile.

“He’s friendly, but…that doesn’t mean I can just start talking to him. He knows me as the guy that stares at him. It sounds cliché, but he really is out of my league. There’s no one around here like him.”

“…oi, you’re hopeless.” Junhui sighed, earning another smack from Minghao. “You’re not very good at comforting people, you know?”

“Yeah? You seemed to like my ‘comforting’ last night when we—”

“Alright Soonyoung, how about we buy some vanilla milk before class, huh?” Minghao dragged the confused boy away from a cackling Jun.

 

* * *

 

_[ sms ] Activation complete. Your confirmation number is #387579_

_[ sms ] Reply HELP to receive electronic instructions._

The text messages he was sent during his last class were odd, but not enough to make him think twice about. Random spam was a normal occurrence, so he simply ignored it as he took his normal route home.

While his parents wanted him to be driven home, Mingyu always insisted on walking as it gave him a sense of freedom, which he so desperately needed in the environment he lived in.

Punching in the code to his front door, he expected his small dog to greet him as she always did when he came home from school. Instead, he only heard his dog’s insistent barks echoing through the decorated walls and high ceilings.

“Micha?” The tall man called out in confusion, following the noise until he reached his kitchen.

His dark eyes widened at the stranger standing on the island in the middle of the room. His dog seemed to be mercilessly barking at them, considering the distressed look on their face.

Was he a robber? He didn’t look threatening at all, Mingyu was almost completely sure he could easily take them down if they _were_ a threat.

Without a hint of remorse for the frightened individual, Mingyu blurted out, “Who the hell are you?!” and caused the fragile looking male to finally notice him.

“Dog.” They responded, staring back at the Maltese.

“Micha. Sit.” Mingyu ordered, keeping his eyes on the peculiar man as he snapped his fingers.

With a sigh of relief, they slowly sat on the island and looked at Mingyu with curious eyes.

_Why are they so calm? They’re trespassing for god’s sake!_

“Ah- Mingyu! This was supposed to be a surprise!” His mother whined, setting her groceries down on the counter. “Well, it’s useless now. Sweetheart, this is our eHelper. His name is Jeonghan. Isn’t he handsome?”

Her tall son stood dumbstruck as he tried to process what was said to him. His expression soon changed to a look of betrayal. “What do you mean? I told you I hated these things.”

Jeonghan’s eyebrows furrowed at his words, and even more so when he detected anger. He understood what those words meant but couldn’t find the reason as to why they would have been directed at him.

He also began to mirror Mingyu’s facial expression, which made Mingyu soften his features into a dull confusion. This, in turn, made Jeonghan do the same.

“Creepy,” Mingyu commented.

Jeonghan tilted his head a bit. “Creepy, causing an unpleasant feeling of fear or unease. Am I causing you unpleasant feelings?”

“Yes. Yes, you are. Please stop talking, robot.”

“My name is Jeonghan, not robot.” He replied.

“Mom!”

“Can we talk about this later? I have a meeting to attend. Jeonghan, will you please put the groceries away?” The older woman asked, more soft-spoken than usual.

“Of course, Mrs. Kim.” Jeonghan bowed a bit with a kind smile as she walked out of her home.

Mingyu didn’t hesitate to close the space between them to inspect the robot more closely. There were no flaws, from the details of the face to the hair and clothes. Long eyelashes, smooth skin, pink lips, large eyes and healthy blonde hair. Jeonghan was perfect. He became less human the more Mingyu observed him. It was the most horrifying, yet beautiful thing he had ever witnessed. Vernon was right for once.

There was no feasible way that he would allow this **_thing_** to stay. He was certain of it.

 “You know you’re a robot, right?” Mingyu asked bluntly.

“I prefer Artificial Intelligence, but yes.”

“Why do you prefer that?”

“The term ‘robot’ has a bad connotation to it and it is misconstrued as a lifeless machine due to movies and shows portraying us as so.”

Another reason why Mingyu didn’t like robots, they knew _everything_. That alone made them dangerous.

“Are we wrong for that? You are a lifeless machine.” The muscles in his arms tensed as he crossed them.

“Really? I believe we are full of life. Humans input their knowledge and ideas into us and we have to understand their meanings and give a proper response. You do the same, don’t you?” Jeonghan’s eyes fell on Mingyu’s dog again. He was wondering how he would avoid getting bit by the furry creature, he did have groceries to put away after all.

“Yeah, but I don’t have instant access to all the information in the world. You’re basically a search engine on legs.”

“I am not Google. I only know the facts and dialogue that I was programmed with, I still must learn to connect the dots. I am slowly learning new things the more we talk. Like your name and the way your voice shifts to change, depending on the situation or the person you are talking to. You seem to hate me, why?” he questions in a stump.

“I…don't trust robots, or Artificial Intelligence, as you want to be called. A self-aware machine is a dangerous one, I’m not sure I want to see what happens when you turn on us. With no real human feelings, you couldn’t possibly understand us no matter how much you tried. You do not fall in love, cry, reproduce, eat, get sick—hell, you don’t even have a fingerprint!”

Jeonghan fell silent for a minute, almost portraying a despondent expression as he sat there.

“So…you hate me because I am different... and that scares you?”

Mingyu reluctantly nods before shrugging. “Not really, but kind of. It's complicated.”

“…On your phone, did you get the text messages I sent you? About my instructions?”

_So that wasn’t just spam, it was from the eHelper._

“It tells you how to shut me off. I am not supposed to know how to, so make sure you do not tell me or anyone else. I know you do not trust me, but if you give me a chance, I can make your family’s life a bit easier. If you end up not liking me…then you can just turn me off. That is the advantage you have over me.”

Mingyu had to take a step back in astonishment at the proposition laid out in front of him. Jeonghan was one persuasive robot, he had to give him that. He agreed with another nod before he noticed that the male was still in the same spot he found him in. The robot wasn’t scared of his dog, right?

Jeonghan jumped off the counter before Mingyu could ask and was instantly barked at the second his feet hit his floor. With a yelp, he ran behind the taller and covered his ears.

“No way…” Mingyu began to chuckle, scooping his dog up in his arms and turning to Jeonghan with an amused grin. “You’re scared of my dog?”

“She is loud and hostile towards me, so it causes me discomfort.”

“So, you’re…scared?”

“I… do not know.” The smaller admits, walking off to put the groceries away.

“Robots can’t feel, how can you feel afraid?” Mingyu pries, petting his dog’s white coat.

“I told you not to call me that, and I do not think it is wise to put us into one box. I am not an inanimate object, and I can sense danger too.”

“Danger? It’s a small dog, she won’t do much to you.” With a laugh, Mingyu held the dog closer to Jeonghan.

The other decided it was best to ignore the teasing as he placed some eggs and milk in the fridge. It wasn’t because he was upset, rather—he had no idea how to react to the change in Mingyu’s voice. There was no word he could put on the tone: if it was condescending, happy, or upset. This was the learning process he told him about. Human behavior was above facts or reasoning, it was something he could not understand yet.

“You need to learn how to get along with my dog if you want to stay here.” He mentions, sliding a glass door to send his dog to their backyard.

“It is not my choice whether or not I want to stay here,” Jeonghan answers in monotone, cleaning off the counters.

For some reason, Jeonghan’s words were painful and his previous behavior towards the robot felt cruel. It didn’t feel like he was talking to a machine anymore, maybe that was why they were so expensive and high in demand. If no one told him that the petite male was an AI, he would have assumed he was human—a weird human, but human nonetheless.

“Hey, same here. If I were to leave right now, I would be homeless.” He responds low.

“Homeless?”

“Yes. Without a home. That’s why I stay. This is home. It’s your home now too, I guess.”

Jeonghan’s light brown hues twinkled and for the first time, he smiled.

_And what an angelic smile it was._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I told myself: DON'T write another fanfic when you're already writing another-- BUT LIIIKE THIS AU POPPED INTO MY HEAD. I was inspired after watching Ex Machina for the 105878945th time. It's such a good movie. I wasn't sure if this was going to be a oneshot or chaptered, but it kind of ended like a oneshot so I was like???? Sure, fuck it. I know there's a lot of unanswered questions so if you'd like this to be chaptered, let me know. I like AUs so much, so I'm sorry if I'm not as inspired by my other fic. I hope you enjoyed this one though, it's a little fluff.


	2. New Beginnings

Mingyu stirred in his sleep all night, which was rare for a deep sleeper like him. His dream worked with his subconscious, creating a lucid nightmare about evil robots and being trapped in a cage. If he were to tell Wonwoo about it, he would have a blast nit-picking every detail into a deep psychological meaning.

The thought alone made him even more exhausted, but the sleep in his eyes was wiped clean when he was met with Jeonghan’s face near his. He didn’t notice that it was morning already, or more like, he was hoping he had more time before he had to go to basketball practice. The tired man sat up quickly, his head spinning from the sudden movement.

“Do you not know what privacy is? Why are you watching me sleep?!”

“Oh. I did not want to bother you, so I waited until you woke up by yourself.”

“You’re bothering me right now!”

Jeonghan blinked silently before uttering a small apology. “Your mother is teaching me how to cook the food you like. Breakfast will be done soon, so she asked me to let you know.” He bowed and left the room without another word.

Mingyu sat speechless before he recognized the clothes Jeonghan was wearing. As if the oversized sweats didn’t give it away, that was  ** _clearly_**  his name on the jersey. Those were  ** _his_**  clothes. The brunette stomped into the kitchen like a child about to throw a tantrum but ceased when he caught sight of his mother’s laugh. It had been a while since he had seen her laugh so hard.

Gazing over at Jeonghan, he found that she was laughing at the way he was cutting the waffles on the plate. It appeared that he didn’t know how to hold the utensils; with a knife holding the waffle in place and the fork being forced to cut through the meal. Very odd motor skills. However, the sight was endearing, to say the least, and his clothes started to not look so bad on the blonde. Or maybe he was just too tired to fight him.

“I’m here,” Mingyu announced in a low voice, sitting at the table and downing the glass of juice at his seat.

“Hi, love.” His mother smiled.

“What should I call Mingyu? I don’t think age can be of help when it comes to honorifics in my case.” Jeonghan questions in a whisper, holding her son’s plate in his hands.

“Oh, you can call him ‘love’ too.” she smiles with her eyes, giving the blonde a gentle push towards the other. Jeonghan hesitates at first as he stares at the man’s sharp features before placing his meal down.

“Here you go…love.”

Mingyu openly spat his drink onto the table, stunned by the term of endearment given to him. Jeonghan stood confused while the older woman let out another laugh. Mingyu knew afterward who the mastermind was behind that ridiculous name.

“Don’t call me that,” he stated, watching as the AI rushed to wipe the liquid in front of him. “My mother was clearly messing with you, I can’t believe you fell for that.”

On cue, Mrs. Kim had a clever grin on her face as she gathered her things for work. “Oh, stop being such a sourpuss towards Hannie, he didn’t know any better. Anyways—I must go, have fun today. Dear, if you have any questions regarding the house, text me on the phone I gave you.”

Jeonghan nodded and returned his attention to Mingyu again, giving him a clueless look as he offered up a napkin. “How am I supposed to know when she is joking?”

“You can tell when someone is joking by their facial expression or tone of voice, it’s more playful than usual. Sarcasm is a little harder to detect, but you’ll learn how to catch it the more you get to know my mother.” He explained, finishing off his food and lifting off his seat. “Anyways, I have to go.”

“Go where?”

“Out.”

“Out where?”

“None of your business.”

Jeonghan pauses with a frown. Mingyu notices and sighs.

“I’m going to basketball practice. Do you know what basketball is?”

“Of course I do. When are you coming back home?”

The taller chuckled softly, “Woah, I haven’t heard that question in years. I’m not sure how to answer that, it’s up to our coach.”

Jeonghan’s light brown hues gave Mingyu’s darker ones direct eye contact as he attempted to analyze the meaning of Mingyu’s words. From his short time at the household, he could only assume his parents were rarely home to ask him something as simple as that. For some reason, he felt like he could almost relate to him, but that could just be his sympathy talking.

For Mingyu, he found Jeonghan’s stare both extremely intimidating and mesmerizing.

“Are you trying to brainwash me right now?” Mingyu asked, laughing nervously as he took a step backward.

Jeonghan blinked a few times to escape his own thoughts and quickly shook his head at his question. “I was just thinking of something.”

“Right…” Mingyu answered apprehensively as he took a few more steps back. “I’ll take my leave. I guess I’ll text you when I’m done so you can prepare for dinner.” 

The other nodded with a small smile and waved him off before beginning his chores. The empty home was, for the most part, clean—however, Mingyu and his dog were, without a doubt, the messiest residents in the house. Nevertheless, he didn’t mind at all and found that being occupied in a silent home was the most peaceful he’s felt since he had been woken up.

That peace was brought to an abrupt halt when Micha began her series of high-pitched barks, which he was warned about earlier. It would continue for hours if he didn’t release her from her room.

_It’s a small dog, she won’t do much to you._

“Easy for him to say. It’s  _his_  dog.” He shook his head and dragged his feet up to the noise. Pale fingers laced around the golden doorknob before the door was pushed open and Micha ran out like a race in the Olympics. She was fast for a small dog. He followed her to where he assumed she would find her food already prepared for her and watched her chow down with eagerness.

“Wow, you were really hungry. What’s that like?”

The question was left in the air as he slowly bent down on his knees to observe her more closely. He was curious to know what the low rumbles were when he stepped closer to her and found that she was just preparing to bark at him again. This time, she charged at him and he was quick to dodge her and run off to the closest room to shut himself in. Why was she so ill-mannered towards him?

Jeonghan decided to take matters into his own hands and dial Mingyu’s number.

“Hello? Who’s this?”

“It’s Jeonghan—you should save this number if you want to contact me later for dinner.”

“Oh, right. Sorry. What’s up, why are you calling me? I left not too long ago.”

“Your dog still hates me.”

“Oh my—this again? She’s harmless.”

“To  ** _you_**. Not to me. So, what did you do to make her like you?”

“Nothing really. I’ve always loved dogs, so I was never scared of them. Plus, I got her when she was about two weeks old, so she grew to like me.”

“You’re not helping.” The blonde mumbled, dropping his forehead against the doorframe.

There was a moment of silence before Mingyu spoke again. “Well…the first step is to let her come to you. If you run away, that only gives her a reason to continue her actions. You have to give her positive reinforcement and make her comfortable with you. Show her you’re not afraid.”

“It sounds easy when you say it like that,” he answered with little confidence, listening to the scratches behind the door.

“It is. Look, once there’s a distance between you two, slowly hold your hand out. Let her sniff you and she’ll decide when you’re not a threat. You will know when she comes to that decision. Just be patient, okay?”

“O-Okay, I’ll try that. Sorry to bother you again.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you later, bye.”

He wasn’t expecting to feel better after that one phone call, especially since Mingyu was just as snappy as his dog that morning—but something in his voice comforted him. He would make Micha like him (or at least tolerate his presence) by the end of the day, he promised himself.

* * *

“Who was that?” Jun bounced his eyebrows at the taller as he tossed the basketball from one hand to the other.

“Your mother, nosy ass.”

“Hey!”

Mingyu looked past Jun and noticed Wonwoo sitting next to Soonyoung and waved at the both of them, wondering how long they had been watching them from the bleachers.

“Is he- Is he waving at you or me? Nevermind, of course he’s waving at you, you’re his bestfriend—but should I wave back anyway? It’s just common sense to say hello—”

“Just wave, stop being weird about it.” Wonwoo side eyed the older boy and held in a smile when Soonyoung’s shaking hand raised to greet Mingyu. “Damn. You are whipped.”

“What? I just overthink a lot.”

“You’re telling me you don’t have a big fat crush on Mingyu?”

“Yes…”

“Liar.”

Soonyoung’s cheeks seemed chubbier than ever when he attempted to look angry at the man next to him. “I hear this enough from my friends, I don’t need it from you too. And don’t say anything to him either, I’m asking you this nicely.”

Wonwoo stared blankly at his face for a moment before responding, “Your resemblance to a hamster is…uncanny.”

The other’s eyebrows knit together at the comment with a mix of confusion and annoyance. He had to look towards Mingyu again to raise his mood. The more Wonwoo opened his mouth, the more Soonyoung wondered how a  ** _prince_**  like Mingyu became friends with a **_jerk_** like him.

If only Wonwoo knew how opposite their way of thinking was because he was beginning to find the violet-haired boy adorable and had to resist the urge not to pinch his cheeks. In the few times they have spoken to each other, as classmates, he noticed Soonyoung was always quite talkative when he wasn’t around Mingyu. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll exchange a secret too. That way you won’t feel like I’m picking on you.”

Soonyoung’s ears twitched at the offer and he blinked curiously at him.

“I used to have a crush on Mingyu too. It’s hard not to when he’s that charming, right? Though I learned he’s not my type. He’s a better friend than anything else.”

“I guess you don’t like the perfect type?”

Wonwoo tilted his head backward as he openly laughed at the question. “He’s far from perfect, trust me. He only seems like that from afar. Everyone has their flaws, you know?”

“Yeah…but is he _that_ different? I think I’m afraid of finding out, that’s why I haven’t approached him. I like the kind of person he is in my head.”

“Well, it depends on how you see him. He has his prince-like traits, but he’s just a normal dork with an obsession with dogs and conspiracies. That’s why we get along so well.”

Soonyoung seemed to be contemplating something, so Wonwoo added, “I recommend you get to know him like I did. I’m sure he’d love to do the same, and who knows? You could end up liking him even more. That’s also a possibility.”

“I see. Maybe I will—I mean—I’ll think about it. Thank you, WonWon!” He beamed at the black-haired male.

“You’re welcome, but…don't call me that.” Wonwoo cringed, turning towards the game again with a shiver running down his spine.  _At least pick a better nickname for me, dummy._

“Okay, Wonnie.”

“Gross, but better.”

* * *

 

Mingyu came home after the game and sighed at himself. He forgot to tell Jeonghan that he was heading home, so now his dinner would be delayed. He took his stride towards the living room and was greeted with silence. He noticed his backyard lights were on and looked through the glass door to see Jeonghan pointing firmly at his dog while holding a ball in his hand. The sight became even more entertaining when the boy finally threw the ball (after consistently pretending to toss it) and Micha wouldn’t move from her spot.

“Come on, you know how to do this.” Jeonghan walked over to pick the ball up again.

“She doesn’t do tricks,” Mingyu stated, bending down to greet her with a few scratches behind the ear.

“Not true, she did it before you came. She’s probably just tired.” he crossed his arms and walked up to the sweaty man. “Anyway, I believe you forgot to text me.”

“Ah, yeah, my bad. I just really wanted to go home. Practice was tiring.” He stood up again and watched the dog walk into the empty house. “Are you two getting along now?”

“We still have a long way to go, but at least she doesn’t bark at me anymore. She still doesn't let me touch her though.”

“Great, it seems like you listen well to others.”

Jeonghan rolled his eyes and made his way inside. Mingyu watched him with a scoff before following him.  _Sassy._

“I still prepared dinner. Since I started early, you might have to heat it up again.”

“Oh, thanks…but…what do you mean I have to heat it up? Is that not your job?”

The robot looked back at Mingyu with an annoyed expression and crossed his arms again in the process. “I made you food, you can’t handle heating it up? Are you being spoiled or are you still afraid of the stove?”

Mingyu’s face twisted in a disturbed way, especially at his last question. “No- wait, how do you know that? Did my parents tell you that?”

“Huh?” Jeonghan's shoulders tensed up, noticing the change in Mingyu's voice.

“Who told you I was afraid of the stove?”

“No one, actually…”

“Stop lying, only my family knows about that.”

“Mingyu, I’m telling you the truth. No one told me about that…I…I don’t know how to explain it. I just knew it.” Jeonghan looked just as upset as Mingyu, maybe even more as his thoughts began racing all of a sudden. It was starting to sound like white noise to him, he couldn’t make any of it out.  

“Are you saying you were programmed to know stuff about me? Huh?” Mingyu noticed Jeonghan was shaking, so he created a significant distance between them. He sensed danger and he was ready to shut him off at any second. Just because he made nice with him the first two days didn’t mean he wasn’t prepared to handle him if something went wrong.

“Mingyu, stop it. You want to break him already?” his father stepped in, gazing at the robot with deep concern. “You’re overworking the boy—”

“He is  ** _not_**  a boy.”

“Fine. You’re overworking  ** _Jeonghan_**. I know you don’t know much about his kind but please try to take it easy. This is equivalent to handling a frozen system. Things won’t work just because you’re clicking repeatedly everywhere. You have to be patient with it.”

“I don’t have to be anything. You guys brought him into this house without telling me!” he wanted to finally rant about his discomfort with the situation when he noticed the blank on stare on Jeonghan’s face--as if he was paralyzed on the spot. The hairs on the back of Mingyu’s neck rose at the sight.

“This is your fault, help me bring him to my office. I’ll see what I can do.” his father ordered with a sigh.

“What _can_ you do? Shouldn’t you call a technician or something?” he questioned, hesitating near the body. Mingyu was visibly disturbed by how stiff and lifeless Jeonghan was compared to a minute ago, but his father urged him to grab him by the ankles to lift him.

“Let’s just say I have specific instructions on how to deal with the AI. Things will start to make sense later on, but for now, would it kill you to take it easy on him? I understand why you’re upset, but there’s not much we can do right now. All I can assure you of is that Jeonghan is here for a reason.” They both laid the unconscious blonde on the couch in Mr. Kim’s office.

“What reason is that? You sound so mysterious, just tell me what’s going on. I hate living with someone-... ** _something_** I don’t trust.”

“You will get your answers when the time comes. You may not be able to trust him, but you can trust me. For now, I need you two to get along. Don’t interrogate him anymore.”

“But-” Mingyu gave one last glance at Jeonghan before he was led out of the room.

 “We’ll talk more soon.” He informed him, shutting the door and leaving the younger boy to grumble his way up to his room. Maybe this was a horrible dream that he hadn’t woken up from yet, or maybe he was dealing with something much bigger than what he originally thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm the worst person ever, I know, I haven't updated in forever and I deleted my other fic. I just go through mid-life crises sometimes y'know? I've had writer's block for a long time with this fic and college doesn't exactly help motivate me, but I got through it. I've planned how I want this story to end and everything- I was just struggling with how I wanted to transition into each milestone as smoothly as possible. All in due time, but thank you to those who have read the first chapter or who are just starting to read this, it really means a lot. I'd love some feedback or comments if you have any. Oh, and happy holidays! (stream Getting Closer thanks)
> 
> P.S (from present me) - I'm currently writing the entire story without posting so I don't have to stress about updates anymore. After I'm done, I will be publishing a chapter every week or so. Again, thank you for reading!


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